Head Strong: Brooke Mills Awarded for Concussion Awareness Advocacy
Brooke Mills tells me she didn’t know much about concussions before March of 2014, when she was kicked in the head and knocked unconscious during a mandatory handball game in gym class. She had never thought she would suffer from a concussion — they are so commonly associated with athletes. But Brooke had, in fact, experienced a concussion that would go beyond bruising her brain, but also affect everything from her social life to her academics.
Brooke suffered from memory loss and had to wear sunglasses indoors because the lighting in her school was too harsh, which led to teasing and bullying from her classmates. She also had to strictly limit the time she spent on her phone, which affected her ability to hang out with friends and use social media — a difficult situation for someone who just started high school.
But today, she’s overcome those challenges and she’s made it her mission to raise awareness around concussions. Brooke started a blog called Finding My Way, where she writes about her concussion and how it impacts her day-to-day life. She said, “I was able to share [a lot of funny stories], in the hope that I was able to relate to some other people and they wouldn’t feel as alone as I felt.” Later, she went on to launch Lessen the Impact, an organization that shares her story, provides resources, and hosts events.
Additionally, Brooke is a peer-to-peer speaker for the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire, where she gives presentations at high schools and middle schools about how to identify a concussion, and stresses the importance of being kind and understanding to those who suffer from this invisible injury.
I first learned of Brooke’s incredible advocacy during my time as Governor of New Hampshire, which inspired me to name November 10th New Hampshire Concussion Awareness Day in 2015.
Now, as a United States Senator, I’m working to establish the third Friday in September as National Concussion Awareness Day. With a bipartisan group of my colleagues, I was able to introduce a resolution recognizing this day in the United States Senate. The day is also recognized by other states and the National Brain Injury Association, and a companion resolution recognizing this day has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
I’m proud to name Brooke Mills of Concord as September’s Granite Stater of the Month for her tireless advocacy of concussion awareness.
